Manual Cotton Picking in Pakistan

Cotton bolls in the same fields open at different times. There is a gap of at least 2 months before first and last boll opens. Thus picking should also be done in accordance, at least 2-3 pickings are required to completely harvest the crop. Picking of cotton usually start in September and continues till December or even January. Picking can be both manual or mechanized. The lint from the first and last pickings should be kept separate because the fibre from the last picking is of comparatively low quality w.r.t first one or two pickings.